Social enterprise is an emerging concept in Hong Kong that bridges the continuum between profit oriented private companies and non-profit charity organizations by adding the elements of service and trade to social services. Despite the fact that the social enterprise is already a well-developed discipline in western societies, the academic research that relates to the said topic is scarce in Hong Kong. Existing literature that studies social enterprise in OECD countries tends to perceive the social enterprise as a functional institution adapting to the surging local unemployment and inequalities arising from the process of globalization. A publicly held general assumption behind this functional institution is that social objective and business goal can be easily and conveniently integrated within the structure of social enterprise in a capitalist economy system. Literature review indicates that the integrative common sense view of the social enterprise has been far too optimistic and failed to demonstrate that the social enterprise is situated within the tensional force between the civil society and the state, between the state and the market, and between the market and the civil society, and thus naturally and constantly experiencing internal and external conflict. Building on our macro tensional model we critically assess the current condition of social enterprises in Hong Kong. Based on well established literature we also draw up an assessment grid to examine the effectiveness of several selected local social enterprises. Assessment criteria include the level of attainment of both financial and social objectives, whether social innovation is the driving force behind social enterprise, how the selected social enterprises enrich social capital as well as creating other positive social impact on the community. Policy implications are also discussed. / published_or_final_version / Social Sciences / Master / Master of Philosophy

Based on the insight from Fukuyama¡¦s notion of trust, the main philosophy of the study is: How is it possible for societies characterized by traditional paradox of familism to move beyond the limited radius of trust (in-group collectivism) and reach to the wider and greater social trust (institutional collectivism)? With family as a starting point, the study is based on three theoretical traditions: social capital theory, third sector research and social entrepreneurship studies. Drawing on two case studies in the specific area of social care services in Taiwan and Germany, research questions are addressed as: How does family-driven social entrepreneurship have emerged and developed in two different societies? If any, what is the main difference between the developments of two cases? And how this difference can be explained through social capital theory? Following social emergence paradigm, three foci of analysis, namely social context, collective actors, and emergence process are discussed. Furthermore, three analytical tools for family-driven social entrepreneurship are developed, that is, four-sector-division framework (based on the concept of welfare mix), entrepreneurial system (based on Bruyat and Julien), and domestic versus civic orders of worth (based on Boltanski and Thevenot). The findings suggest that with family as a starting point, social entrepreneurship is grounded, emerges and evolves in the distinctive social contexts. For the case of Taiwan, with the role of self-help group, family-driven social entreprenurship might provide the potential for social transformation from family tie to beyond family, creating a new organization in the third sector. In contrast, for the case of Germany, social entrepreneurship development presents as from family-driven social entrepreneurship to community development. With multi-level associations and the functional coordination among the public administrations, third sector organizations and families as well as the surrounding communities, family-driven social entrepreneurship may reach at the institutional level. By integrating to and coordinating in the coherent interaction between formal institutions and informal cultures, the development of the German case can be related to institutional collectivism. Based on the implications, a contextual Framework for family-driven social entrepreneurship is proposed, namely Family, beyond family, and institution: Developing family-driven social entrepreneurship in Context. From my perspective, social entrepreneurship not only aims to make the isolates re-integrate into society, but also, with macro vision, to make institutions change for society. The direction of institutional change, echoing Fukuyama, is toward the development of an inclusive and vital society through social capital and trust, that is, not only cultivating personal and particularistic trust but also enriching generalized and institutionalized trust in society. With those aims, social entrepreneurship is context-sensitive. Both ends and means of social entrepreneurship are embedded in social context. As a concluding thought, I stress that social entrepreneurship is contextual. With family as a starting point, social entrepreneurship is grounded, emerges, and evolves in distinctive contexts in different societies. Furthermore, in line with Fukuyama, but going further, it is possible for the societies traditionally characterized by the paradox of familism to move toward more inclusive and higher trust through social entrepreneurship. In its essence, social entrepreneurship reveals the ethic of economic life in modern society, that is, not only to accumulate material wealth, but rather to enrich trust for the wider-society as wide a society as possible.

Background:   The importance of creating social and economic value through social entrepreneurship has gained recognition in recent decades. However, the concept has mostly been studied within the Western world, contributing to a skewed perspective of social entrepreneurship, as it also occurs within other contexts. Moreover, the lone actor has been emphasized as the drive for social change. Still, it is argued that it is through several actors within cross sector collaborations that great social impact can be reached.  Purpose of the study: The purpose of this Master Thesis is to explore and broaden the understanding of the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship within a developing country. Moreover, the aim of this Master Thesis is to contribute with insights in how cross sector actors are collaborating in order to enable social entrepreneurship.  Methodological framework: In order to carry out this Master Thesis a qualitative research approach was chosen. A single case study in the western highlands of Guatemala was carried out. The empirical data was gathered through observations and 18 semi structured interviews. Conclusion: The conducted study acknowledges six contexts: the business, the social, the spatial, the formal institutional, informal institutional and the international influence, which are both enabling and constraining social entrepreneurship. Furthermore, the study reveals four factors of how organizations across sectors and nations are collaborating in order to enable social entrepreneurship: forging initial agreement, building leadership, continuous communication and generation and utilization of resources.  The study also reveals the connection of context, cross sector collaboration and social entrepreneurship.

Das vorliegende Working Paper gibt einen Überblick über unterschiedliche Zugänge zu Social Entrepreneurship (SE) in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur und stellt die Ergebnisse einer im Frühjahr/Herbst 2012 durchgeführten Telefonbefragung zum Thema "Mapping Social Entrepreneurship in Österreich" vor. Ziel der Befragung war es, einen Überblick über SE in Österreich zu geben. Die zentralen Ergebnisse lassen sich wie folgt zusammenfassen: 1) Die wissenschaftlichen Definitionsversuche von SE sind mannigfaltig. Konsens besteht lediglich darin, dass die soziale Mission prioritär oder zumindest wirtschaftlichen Zielen gleichgestellt ist. Darüber hinaus unterscheiden sich die Verständnisse von SE teils stark und reichen von der Auffassung, SE würde als Überbegriff für Organisationen und Personen mit einer sozialen Mission dienen, die eine starke betriebswirtschaftliche Orientierung und einen Fokus auf die Generierung eigener Einnahmen legen, über Definitionen, die besonders den innovativen Charakter von SE hervorheben, bis hin zu Verständnissen, die verstärkt die Wirkung von SE und damit einhergehend institutionellen Wandel sowie das soziale Transformationspotential von SE in den Vordergrund stellen. 2) Im Rahmen der Untersuchung konnten zehn Organisationen in Österreich identifiziert werden, die sich der Unterstützung von SE, durch Finanzierungs-, Beratungs-, Trainings-, und Netzwerkleistungen, verschrieben haben. Es sind dies Ashoka Österreich, der Bundesdachverband für Soziale Unternehmen, der Essl Social Prize, Good.bee, HUB Vienna, Pioneers of Change, der Social Business Day, der Social Impact Award, der Trigos Preis für Social Entrepreneurs, sowie die WU Wien. Diesen Organisationen kommt eine besondere Rolle im SE-Feld zu, da sie aufgrund ihrer zentralen Positionen im Netzwerk, das Feldverständnis von SE mitprägen. 3) Darüber hinaus konnten in Summe 273 Organisationen bzw. Personen in Österreich identifiziert werden, die mit dem SE-Begriff in Verbindung gebracht werden. Von diesen konnten 105 interviewt werden, von denen sich wiederum 80 selbst als Social Entrepreneurs sehen. 4) 75% der Social Entrepreneurs sind jünger als 4 Jahre. Die Projektideen selbst existieren aber oft schon wesentlich länger. 5) Bildung, regionale bzw. lokale Entwicklungsprojekte, Arbeits(re)integrationsprojekte, Projekte in Entwicklungsländern sowie Projekte mit einem Schwerpunkt auf Umweltschutz sind die wichtigsten Bereiche, in denen sich Social Entrepreneurs engagieren. Zu den am häufigsten genannten Zielgruppen zählen Kinder und Jugendliche, nachhaltige KonsumentInnen, Menschen aus Entwicklungsländern sowie die breite Öffentlichkeit. Die am häufigsten genannten Leistungen, die angeboten werden, um die sozialen Zielsetzungen zu erreichen, sind der Verkauf von Produkten und Dienstleistungen, das Vernetzen von Personengruppen, sowie die Beratung, Ausbildung, und Weiterbildung von spezifischen Personengruppen. 6) Jede Organisation verfügt im Durchschnitt über ein jährliches Budget von 30.000 Euro. Dabei setzen sich die Finanzierungsquellen durchschnittlich zu 52% aus privaten Mitteln, zu 34% aus Markteinnahmen und 14% aus öffentlichen Mitteln (in Form von Subventionen und Leistungsverträgen) zusammen. 7) 37% der Social Entrepreneurs sind in Form eines Vereins organisiert, 23% haben die Rechtsform der GesmbH gewählt und 17% sind als Einzelunternehmen strukturiert. 18% haben noch keine Rechtsform. Die verbleibenden 5% sind Personengesellschaften. Bezogen auf die Rechtsform unterscheiden sie sich maßgeblich von etablierten NPOs. Diese sind zu 90% als Vereine organisiert. 8) Unterschiede zu etablierten NPOs liegen vor allem im Bereich der Finanzierung, der Rechtsform sowie dem Selbstverständnis von Social Entrepreneurs. Der Wunsch nach finanzieller Autarkie und die damit verbundene stärkere Betonung von Markteinnahmen, ein Fokus auf wirtschaftliche Methoden und Herangehensweisen, sowie der unternehmerisch Charakter, der sich unter anderem in der Wahl der Rechtsform niederschlägt, sind Spezifika von SE. / Series: Working Papers / Institute for Nonprofit Management

In 2010, the University of Ottawa (hereafter, UO) banned the sale of single-use water bottles. UO decided that the sale of this product ran contrary to their commitments to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. This ban has been adopted by several institutions, locally and globally. However, there is still demand for portable water that operates within the boundaries of sustainability. I developed H2Ottawa at UO, through my internship with the Office of Campus Sustainability (hereafter, OCS). The goal of H2Ottawa is to bring portable water to the UO community without compromising the institution's allegiance to sustainability. To do this, we are selling multi-use, metal water bottles in vending machines and select cafés on campus, for the same price one would expect to pay for single-use bottles ($3.00) . I have used a Living Action Research approach, as defined by Mc Niff and Whitehead (2011) to document and analyze the planning, conceptualization, and implementation of this project. For the purpose of this research, I consider that the UO adopts the mentality outlined through Ecological Modernization Theory (hereafter, EM). In short, EM argues that sustainability can be achieved within a capitalist society. I will use a green-Marxist lens to position the critical analysis of this project. Here, it is argued that we cannot ‘buy our way out of trouble’, meaning that a revolution is necessary to achieve a sustainable society. I will argue that as an institution, the UO makes its goals towards sustainability compatible with a corporate understanding of environmental responsibility. This thesis aims to answer: how does the UO implement sustainability initiatives in a way that complies with the value-set of the university, while also satisfying community expectations? I have found that the UO implemented H2Ottawa to provide students with access to potable water, and to augment their reputation. Considering that this project is the first of its kind, its adoption reinforces UO’s commitments to sustainability and innovation. Research findings will be of use for future students, as I present challenges involved in the conceptualization and implementation of sustainability-motivated initiatives within the Canadian university context.

Social Enterprises are becoming a key economic sector globally, which has led to increased interest from scholars, policymakers, investors, regulators and practitioners alike. There has however not been any consensus and consistency on how to measure their performance. This study aims to address these challenges by proposing a framework that could be used to measure the performance and sustainability of Social Enterprises. The study was conducted by initially reviewing the literature, selecting the most relevant performance criteria from the literature to form the performance measurement framework and finally testing the framework through a qualitative descriptive study of a sample of eight Social Enterprises listed on the Social Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom for the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. The research further proved that it is possible to measure the performance of Social Enterprises and to standardise those measurements for the sector. In this light the financial performance and sustainability criteria were found to provide meaningful results whereas the social performance criteria were prejudiced to an extent by the absence of standardised social reporting in the sector. Further to this the research study found that: (1) the Social Enterprise sector yielded more stable but lower financial returns relative to the stock market, (2) there were no correlations between the sector, GDP and stock market, (3) the social aims have not been achieved in full and (4) the sector was becoming progressively unhealthier with time. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / zkgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The phenomenon of social enterprises is growing in South Africa; as a result there is a need to study management of these organisations in an effort to enhance their sustainability. The concept of social enterprise is still undefined in South Africa, and this lack of clarity is resulting in the inappropriate use and classification of non-profit organisations as social enterprises amid the growing trend of converting traditional non-government organisations into self-sustainable entities. The purpose of this study is to identify and explore factors which may improve the management and the sustainability of social enterprises as hybrid organisations. A quantitative research study was conducted to assess the relationship between these factors. Founders and managers of social enterprises participated in the study by completing an online survey. This study indentified that the following factors have an influence on the sustainability of social enterprises: (i) access to funding; (ii) pursuit of dual missions; and (iii) competitiveness. The results of this study showed that the factors are correlated and thus have an impact on the sustainability of social enterprises as hybrid organisations. To this effect a model was developed to guide managers of hybrid social enterprises on sustainable management of their organisations. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Young people, emerging out of the foster care system, often struggle to become productive and self-sustainable adults in society. They are at high risk of being trapped in poverty and unemployment for their entire adult life because they are unable to make a successful transition out of the foster care system to adulthood. The purpose of this study was to explore how social entrepreneurship can be utilised to establish a developmental transitional service to facilitate the successful transition to adulthood of youth in foster care. The research participants were purposefully selected and comprised social workers and foster youths based in the township and the former homelands of the Free State. Data was collected using in-depth interviews and focus groups and was analysed using content analysis. The study found that the current model of the foster care system is not designed to facilitate and support foster youth to make a successful transition to adulthood. This may be ascribed to the following: ● The legislative requirements imposed on this population group, ● The lack of preparatory transition services and ● The limited capacity of social workers to address the needs and challenges of foster youth. The study concludes that intervention is needed in the foster care system to prepare, equip and support foster youth to become productive and self-sustainable citizens. Through the application of the social entrepreneurship framework, this study demonstrates how existing resources and new actors can be leveraged to provide a developmental transitional service that will serve to promote the resilience of youth in foster care and assist them to break the cycle of poverty.

As global solid waste management systems evolve to include wider elements of sustainability, developing countries are struggling with how best to work with a growing informal sector. This research seeks to investigate how developing country mainstream solid waste management systems can harness the opportunities presented through the informal recycling sector. This research explores the dialogue around „formalisation of the informal‟ and „integration of informal recycling sector into mainstream solid waste management systems‟, approaching this from an informal sector perspective. The research endeavours to offer insights to this discourse from an inclusive, social innovation approach. The research looks at what business models the informal recycling sector use as they adopt or adapt industrialised practices and how these harness inclusion and social innovation. The research area is Bulawayo, Zimbabwe with the informal recycling sector as case study. The main research question is “How can we harness inclusion and social innovation as the informal sector transitions into mainstream economic spaces?” The research employs an inductive qualitative approach through a rapid ethnography, focus group discussions and semi-structured key informant interviews. Key concepts explored in this research include „circumstantial social entrepreneurship‟, „generational informality‟, „value chain alliances‟, „public, private, community and informal sector partnerships (PPCIPs)‟ and „inclusive development as a pre-requisite to formalisation‟. By unpacking the business models employed by the informal recycling sector and how inclusive, social innovation opportunities inherent in these can be harnessed during the transition from shadow to mainstream economy spaces, this research intends to offer progressive approaches on how to unlock shared value during the graduation of the informal recycling sector from shadow to mainstream socio-economic spaces. Additionally, the outputs of this research aim to contribute to context-specific knowledge on types of non traditional social entrepreneurial activity within informal spaces and how these push boundaries of inclusive, social innovation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This qualitative dissertation contributes to the nascent literature on the study of social enterprise in American congregations through an examination of the role, theology, motivations, and experiences of Protestant Christian social entrepreneurs who are pursuing (or have pursued) social entrepreneurship in the congregational setting. These religious leaders engage the free market by establishing social ventures such as hotels, thrift stores, community development corporations, restaurants, retail outlets, publishing companies, and landscaping businesses among others. Drawing on forty-four in-depth, semi-structured interviews with lay and clergy leaders representing a diverse sample of twenty-six American congregations from four Protestant traditions and six geographic regions, this dissertation asks: Who are these congregational social entrepreneurs (their role and their theology)? Why do they engage in congregational social entrepreneurship (motivations)? And how do they go about establishing social ventures (experiences)? This study provides scholars and practitioners insights into the identity, motivations, and experiences of American religious leaders who are pioneering an emerging form of religious practice that blurs the distinction between the pastor and parishioner, the sacred and secular, and the instrumental and expressive. This dissertation offers contributions to both theory and practice. Instead of conceptualizing “social entrepreneurship” and “values and faith” as separate categories (as in prior research), this dissertation introduces a new theoretical paradigm with an intersecting model of instrumental and expressive rationales for nonprofit institutions. Transcending otherwise clearly defined boundaries, the study’s findings speak to the flexibility of social entrepreneurship to conform to the values of its leadership and the pervasive and permeating reach of faith within the context of human endeavor. Additionally, this research offers a constructive understanding of the role, theological tenets, and practical experiences of lay and clergy leaders. / 2021-08-21